Skip to main content

Press Releases

January 22, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting for the three-week Continuing Resolution (CR) to end the Trump government shutdown: "While I have often said CRs are a bad way to govern, it became increasingly clear that President Trump and Congressional Republicans were willing to never reopen the government. That’s even worse than governing by CRs. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House. We now have three weeks to come together to pass a year-long budget to avoid another shutdown. It is incumbent on Republicans to work constructively with Democrats on a long-term agreement that actually funds the federal government and the military for the remainder of fiscal year 2018 and fully addresses sequestration, health care, disaster relief, the opioid epidemic, and guarantees protections for DREAMers.”

January 18, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting against the House Republicans’ latest short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government: “Today’s vote was the fourth Continuing Resolution (CR) in as many months. CRs are an abdication of Congress’ constitutional responsibility to ensure that our federal government efficiently and effectively serves the American people. CRs hamstring federal agencies and freeze their ability to award new grants and puts a hold on the Department of Defense’ ability to sign new contracts for shipbuilding, ship maintenance, and other critical national security priorities. Additionally, due to operating under continued uncertainty as a result of CRs, federal agencies waste billions of dollars planning on divergent budget scenarios, including preparing for a government shutdown."

January 18, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement on its decision to create a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division in the Office for Civil Rights: “Today, the Trump administration announced its decision to create a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division in the Office for Civil Rights. This announcement must be examined as part of the administration's broader pattern of promoting discrimination. There is no indication that patients’ access to appropriate health care will not be jeopardized. The administration has already issued a rule to allow virtually any employer or institution of higher education to deny preventive health services for women, and continues to take steps to open the door for discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community, those in interracial relationships, and minority religious groups."

January 17, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and 153 House Democrats sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the administration to invest in the critical infrastructure that affects every city and town in the nation – our public schools. Too many of the more than 50 million students and six million staff who learn and work in our public schools spend their days in facilities that fail to make the grade. “To address this crisis, the federal government should partner with states and territories to ensure that public schools in every community are safe, healthy, and modern – particularly in low-income and rural school districts where the need is often most profound."

January 12, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Representatives Donald McEachin, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, and Bobby Scott sent a letter to the Trump Administration requesting that Virginia be exempted from its offshore drilling proposal, citing local concerns over the risks to tourism, the watermen’s industry, and the country’s Naval operations.

January 11, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a meeting with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discuss priority issues for House Democrats. Today’s meeting was the first meeting between the Ranking Member and the Secretary. “My discussion with Secretary DeVos today reaffirmed for me that we share a common goal – to ensure all students are supported to achieve their full potential. Secretary DeVos and I will not always agree on the best ways to achieve that goal. But I am confident there are areas, like expanding access to quality career and technical education including apprenticeships, where we can work together."

January 11, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed S. 139, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017: “S. 139 is an unprecedented re-authorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that continues to allow the federal government to collect Americans’ emails, chat logs, and browser history without a showing of probable cause."

January 11, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed S. 140 [239 to 173]. Hidden in the package of non-controversial tribal water supply and lands legislation, was the poison pill H.R. 986. “The so-called ‘Tribal Sovereignty Act’ strips hundreds of thousands of workers employed at Indian-owned enterprises—such as casinos, hotels, and mines—of their voice in the workplace and the protections under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). At issue in this bill are two solemn and deeply rooted principles. The first is the rights of Indian tribes as distinct, independent political communities. The second is the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively. Rather than attempting to balance these important principles, S. 140 simply strips workers’ of their rights to secure better wages and benefits.

January 4, 2018
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration released a 5 year proposal to drastically increase off-shore oil and gas drilling off America’s coastlines, including Virginia: “The proposal released by the Trump Administration to radically expand offshore drilling is bad for Americans, businesses, the economy, the military and the environment. There is a broad, bipartisan coalition of governors, advocacy groups and concerned Americans that are opposed to offshore drilling because of all the risks associated with the practice."

January 4, 2018
WASHINGTON – Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01), and Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor issued a proposed rule to rollback health coverage protections by expanding association health plans. “Today, the Administration took further steps to undermine the health and well-being of the American people."